Fewer college graduates are choosing degrees in education than ever before. In 2019-20, U.S. colleges and universities awarded 85,057 bachelor’s degrees in education — a number that’s less than half of what was awarded in 1970-71, despite the total number of degrees being higher than ever. In 2019-20, about 4% of all degrees were in education, whereas in 1970-71, it was about 21% (Pew 2022). Some of this change is perhaps explained by the opportunities afforded to women 50 years ago; 36% of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in 1970-71 were in education, but in 2019-20 that figure decreased to 6% (Pew 2022).
And among teachers already in the classroom, many are contemplating quitting. Nationwide, the National Education Association reported that more than half of the respondents to a 2022 survey say they’re more likely to leave or retire sooner than originally planned because of the pandemic — compounding a crisis the organization says was already in progress. In Florida’s No. 1 school district, St. Johns County, the local teachers union reports that 79% of its teachers are considering leaving the district for one of the surrounding ones with better pay or leaving the profession altogether (SOURCE).